A home with simple beauty and understated elegance

It's hard to pull off humble/simple and elegant, but I think this home was successful. Check it out:

eclectic objects add warmth

dark purple is always chic

love how the books are displayed!

a spacious hall with a picture ledge

inspiration simply tacked on the wall keeps the space from being stuffy - and it's so cool how the images extend into the next room

fab. architectural elements

What do you think of this Australian home?

all photos © Richard Powers

Yay! A book giveaway!

It's been too long since I've hosted a book giveaway?  So I wanted to make this one super good.  Just by commenting on this post - you'll be put in the drawing to win the book Downtown Chic by Robert and Cortney Novogratz of Sixx Design

I've been flipping through this book on and off all day - they give some really good advice for making your home yours, and flea market shopping tips!


This is just a little nibble of the content:

How to Flea by Robert and Cortney Novogratz

• The great stuff sells before 6 AM; get there early, before the dealers snatch up the best things
• Get a large cup of coffee - it's too early to be up on a weekend
• Negotiate. You can always walk away and go back later
• Be sure to bring the measurements of the spaces you are furnishing and a tape measure when shopping.

 





Don’t forget to comment on this post (scroll to the bottom of this post and right above "Labels" you will see a number followed by the word "comments." Click on the word "Comments." Or, you will see a link, "Post a Comment," which you click on to comment)

If you receive posts in your email feel free to respond to the email noting that you'd like to be entered in the drawing.

Contest closes Thursday the 16th at 5pm. Good luck!

Hurry! Amazing Bohemian Chic by Karma Living Sale

So many exciting things to show you! These are on sale at HauteLook, which is a member only designer discount site - but use my invite code and you can sign up free and fast and get these goodies before they run out!

Here's the link - http://www.hautelook.com/invite/AWhite564

Here's just a few examples of the gorgeousness on sale:











I snagged one of these!

Giveaway - Downtown Chic by designer couple Robert and Cortney Novogratz

A super surprise for you guys today! Just by commenting on this post - you'll be put in the drawing to win the book Downtown Chic by Robert and Cortney Novogratz of Sixx Design

I've been flipping through this book on and off all day - they give some really good advice for making your home yours, and flea market shopping tips!


This is just a little nibble of the content:

How to Flea by Robert and Cortney Novogratz
• The great stuff sells before 6 AM; get there early, before the dealers snatch up the best things
• Get a large cup of coffee - it's too early to be up on a weekend
• Negotiate. You can always walk away and go back later
• Be sure to bring the measurements of the spaces you are furnishing and a tape measure when shopping.







Contest closes Wednesday the 22nd at 5pm. Good luck!

Yes - cabin decorating can be done without taxidermy!

Shocking I know, but I still have nightmares about the deer hoof coat rack my parents had when I was a kid. So even when going for the country, "one with nature" look, I try to avoid dead animals. And when reader Carrie proposed a little challenge for me to provide her with inspiration for her newly renovated cabin - I agreed to take a stab. Anyone else have some ideas?

Carrie's cabin:

Carrie's own little "Shady Nook" - what a dream!



Of her *gorgeous* home she says,

Definite likes would include Adirondack, Mission and Shaker... a rustic chic.... Bold, warm colors, even though most of our space is filled with wood. Our cabin is outside of Philadelphia, that's why I say rustic chic. I'm a city girl, living in a cabin an hour from the city... we're not exactly in no man's land and I love the city. But how does I combine the two without things looking Felix & Oscar?

Dislikes include whites (in the woods nothing stays white), those cutesy bears that accompany so many cabin decor sites, and those metal chairs from the '60s (that my husband already collects). I don't have any interior shots, but I can give you some exterior shots of our cabin, "Shady Grove", for inspiration. The outbuilding with the canoes is my husband's workshop, and the cute one with blue and red trim is my "Shady Nook", and guest room."

Some yummy ideas I found:

Rich warm colors like navy blue, red, golden-tan, and plums offer bright color without being too worrisome of dirt showing through.
via Sunset


Don't you love farmhouse sinks?
via Cottage Living

The use of wood for seating and cabinets says cabin - while the back splash and clean lines ads a little touch of the city.
via Cooking Light


via Sunset
via Whole Living
Though an entire supportive column from a tree trunk may not be a realistic possibility for most of us, you can bring the forest in on a smaller scale like this tree branch used as a towel hook.

"At left, the open-air dining room features reclaimed redwood siding salvaged from an abandoned water tower that once served a local stage coach station." -
via Sunset


Use ample soft home goods to juxtapose wood and rock
via House to Home


I always equate open shelving with rustic-chic. The numbers on the back of the dining room chairs also add refinement to the country look.
via Southern Living


via My Home Ideas

via Dwellings and Decor via Country Living

via Marie Claire Maison

Little details and "imperfections" are actually nature's embellishments, and personally, I find that's where the charm lies.
via Marie Claire Maison

Wood needn't mean "cutesy bear" carvings and animals made from corn husks - wood can be sensuous and elegant like in this bedroom!
via Marie Claire Maison (?)



Dark furniture and glass accessories, and designing in symmetry or "pairs" ad elegance, and the Tuscan-style paint finish ads polish.
via Marie Claire Maison (?)

Accessories with a more organic shape and feel will fit in better than "manufactured" items.
via Hudson Goods

-love this table
via Hudson Goods

via Hudson Goods

Vintage accessories will lend themselves better to a cabin than objects shiny and new.
via Hudson Goods